Eventuality
by SummerStarWatcher
Summary: Is there such a thing as fate? Did this happen because of Rose, because of Scorpius, because of Lily? Or was this always and forever going to happen? Summary inside.
1. Chapter 1

**Summary  
><strong>Rose and Scorpius have never really gotten along. Watching each other from afar, annoying each other up close, theirs has never been a relationship to inspire ballads. But after one late night, everything changes quickly, much more quickly than anyone could imagine. Rose and Scorpius are on the fast track to happily ever after, but only if they can overcome all the obstacles thrown at them and learn to trust and love, together.

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**Scorpius's POV**

"Help."

The voice came out of nowhere as Scorpius was wandering up to the Astronomy tower, intent upon returning a book he had borrowed from the professor. He paused for a moment, then shook his head, sure he had just imagined it.

No one would be up here at this time of night.

"Help me, please. Somebody?"

It was definitely a girl's voice. Scorpius paused again, a frown crinkling his forehead. But, like he'd thought before, who'd be up here in the middle of the night? And who calls for help in such a bored, tired voice? It must just be some second-years playing a joke.

"Very funny," he called out. "But I'm a prefect, and you're out of bed in the middle of the night. Come on, get back to your common room before I have to call a teacher."

"Oh thank Merlin!" The voice was much more animated now that he had responded. "Please, I need your help! Can you come find me? Please?"

"If this is a trick, you'll pay for it," he warned as he began walking again, alert and wary for anything unexpected.

"Oh come on, like I would joke about this. Hurry up and you'll see that it's no trick. Please." Her voice came louder now, from just around the corner up ahead.

Scorpius knew that voice.

Only one person could sound so impatient and ungrateful when someone else was doing her a favor: Rose Weasley. The fact that she kept saying 'please' in such a kind, pleading manner threw him off though…

And now a question arose. Did he leave the girl behind to deal with whatever she'd gotten herself into, since she'd likely refuse his help anyway, or did he continue on and see just what kind of trouble she was in?

There was really only one answer, Scorpius decided. Of course he'd keep going, and whether or not he ended up helping her he'd still be able to mock her for whatever it was.

He squashed down the little part of him that was whispering about being glad for another chance to see her, wanting to smack himself.

"Alright, alright, I'm coming," he grumbled in response to her, quickening his footsteps.

"Thank you," she sighed, and he was surprised to note the exhaustion in her voice. She no longer sounded impatient or ungrateful, merely tired and sincerely thankful.

It surprised him, how much he wanted to take care of her when she sounded like this.

And then he rounded the corner.

"Oh thank god, you—" She broke off when she saw him. "Oh. It's you." Her voice was suddenly lacking all emotion except perhaps distaste.

He grinned at her. "Yep, it's me. And look at you," he drawled, enjoying himself immensely.

Rose was leaning against the corridor wall, looking just as worn out as she had sounded. Over her head hung a bunch of mistletoe, one of the castle's perennial tricks around this time of year. Once you walked under one of the bunches, you got stuck there until someone came along and kissed you, setting you free.

It was not hard to do when the mistletoe was in a crowded place in the castle, where people walked by all the time. But up here, no one else would be coming by.

There was only Scorpius. A fact Rose seemed to have processed by now.

"You can go now." Her voice was cold and final, but Scorpius could hear just a hint of desperation in it.

He grinned even wider. "Nope."

"What do you mean, nope?" She said indignantly, putting her hands on her hips.

"What kind of a person would I be if I left my fellow prefect in such a situation?" He widened his eyes, trying to look as innocent as possible. Trying to look as though he weren't jumping at a chance to kiss her.

She sighed, seeing right through his poor attempt at seeming virtuous. "You must be loving this. Seeing me, stuck here, and you're the only one who can help."

He couldn't deny it.

"But I don't want your help. Just go find someone else to come back up here, or leave me until tomorrow morning," she continued, her voice taking on a harder tone despite the fact that she slumped back against the wall. "But don't come near me. I don't want your help."

"Why don't you want my help, Rose? You're obviously exhausted, you should go to bed. Just let me help you. I promise, I'm not that bad of a kisser." He smirked at her, winking suggestively.

She swallowed, her throat working visibly. "I don't want your kisses, Malfoy. You probably have herpes or something, from all those girls you're always kissing."

"Nope. No herpes." If only she knew. "And I don't see that you have much of a choice here, my dear." He began walking towards her, like a predator stalking his prey with a feral grin.

She backed up as far as the charm would allow her to. "_No_. Don't come near me. I don't want your kisses."

"Oh, but I can _make_ you want it, Rose," he chuckled softly, continuing to approach.

Her expression changed to one of panic. "Malfoy, I told you, I don't want this. Now go away and leave me alone before you—" She broke off in a frustrated sigh and glared at him.

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**Rose's POV**

He'd entered the boundary of the charm, and now he was stuck too. And more than that, now that they were both stuck together, the charm wouldn't let them go until they kissed each other.

No one else could come along to save her now.

It had to be Scorpius.

She looked at him, noting the smug look on his face. She also noticed, in their close proximity, closer all the time, how warm he was. It was awfully cold up here near the astronomy tower in the middle of the night, and she'd been up here for hours, so even just being this close to him was like slipping into a warm bath. It was heavenly.

And the way he was looking at her was heating her up too, smug and yet concerned, almost, with just a hint of possessive eagerness.

And now she was noticing other things, too, like how tall he was, that she was looking at his chin when they stood this close, and how even his loose shirt under his robes couldn't conceal the strength and power of his torso, couldn't quite hide the muscles she knew lined his body. How his mouth was so red and luscious looking…quite kissable, really…

She was horrified to find herself attracted to this man, this boy who had irritated her from her first moments at Hogwarts.

But her brain was whispering to her, reminding her of all those times she'd found him attractive before, and she wasn't really horrified or surprised.

He would be a fantastic kisser, she knew.

And really, it had always been Scorpius…

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**A/N:** There it is, chapter one. I hope you liked it. :)

Here's the deal with this story: I've already written all of it. You can still offer comments and suggestions, which I might include, but the rest of the story already exists. So when will i be updating? Every five days, or every five reviews. There's some incentive to review, eh?

So please, let me know what you think about this story! You know how fun it is to read reviews on your stories, so please, please do me the favor of leaving one, especially if you favorite the story or add it to your alerts!

Anyway, I hope this is a good fic for you all.

Love,

Star


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Here's the next chapter, guys! Thanks so much to those of you who reviewed, I appreciate it. :)

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**Scorpius's POV**

He could see it. He could see it when she gave up, when she stopped resisting what was always and forever going to happen. Around the time his lips were mere centimeters above hers, his hands resting to either side of her head as he boxed her in against the wall, she relaxed, no longer straining to pull away from him, and allowed him to dip even closer to her. And then, when they were about to touch, he paused.

Her eyes flew open.

"What are you doing?" she whispered, her breath warm against his lips.

She smelled so sweet. He couldn't help it, inhaling deeply before responding.

"Kiss me, Rose."

"What?" Her voice was a bit louder this time. Breathless, shocked, arousing as hell…he nearly groaned. This was better than any day dream he'd ever had of her.

"Kiss me, or we'll be stuck here all night."

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**Rose's POV**

She drew in a breath, noticing his scent. Why did he have to smell so good, feel so good being so close to her... her body yearned to be fully against his, pressed together in the dark.

But no, this was Scorpius. She shouldn't be doing this…

She cursed her weakness, and let her body sway forward until it was in full contact with his. She tipped her head up just ever so slightly, closing the distance between them and allowing their mouths to meet in a light kiss.

And that was the last bit of control she had.

She truly intended to just barely touch him and then pull away, as that was all the charm would require, but as soon as their lips touched it became impossible for her to pull away and all of her intentions went up in smoke.

Flames licked through her veins as he pressed her up the wall, lips soft and tongue insistent, hands leaving blazing trails all over her body. She tangled her fingers in his hair and moaned into his mouth when he suddenly boosted her up against the wall, allowing her to wrap her legs around his hips.

This pushed them even closer, closer than should have been physically possible. There was fire everywhere, because he was everywhere, touching every part of her, even reaching in to slide invisible tendrils into her heart.

(She wouldn't notice this until later, though, for at the moment she was a bit occupied.)

It was the hottest kiss she'd ever experienced, much better than any imaginings, because this was real. _This is Scorpius_, her brain reminded her, but somehow that only made it better.

It might have been mere seconds; it might have been many long minutes before the kiss ended. They pulled away from each other, breathing hard.

Scorpius looked smug.

Suddenly upset with herself for enjoying the kiss, Rose pushed away from him and down the hallway.

And then she blushed from the roots of her hair all the way down her chest, in shame and anger and delicious, delirious wanting.

She'd gone the wrong way down the corridor, further up towards the tower instead of down towards the dormitories. To get to bed, she'd have to go back past Scorpius.

Back through the charm.

She almost groaned at her stupidity, cursed her weak body, already yearning for his touch again, then turned slowly to face him.

His barely concealed hilarity told her he knew of her dilemma. He stood aside, still in the field of the charm, and gestured grandly past him.

She sighed and walked back into the charm, feeling it solidify around her, and looked resignedly up at him. "Alright, let's get this over with."

His grin widened. "Come on, now, Rose. You know it's not so bad."

No, it wasn't. And that was the problem. She shouldn't be wanting him, wanting his lips on hers and her fingers in his hair and his strong arms holding her so, so close.

But she did.

And that was the real problem. She wanted him, more than anything else she could ever remember. And now that she had felt this desire, had tasted heaven in his arms, she didn't know how she would ever stop wanting him. Years and years of attraction that had been ignored and denied suddenly burst to the forefront, threatening to never leave again.

If she kissed him again, she would never be able to let him go.

But she had no choice. He was already pulling her against him again, and like a mindless idiot she softened into his hold, tilting her head back in anticipation of the pleasure that would come with his kiss.

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**Scorpius's POV**

Merlin, she would be the death of him. Soft as warm chocolate and at least as sweet, she walked into his embrace with all the hesitation of a starving man faced with a heaping plate of food. Despite her required protests, he could tell she wasn't dreading this kiss in the least.

And he was happy to oblige.

None of the other girls he'd kissed could ever compare. They all had reasons for wanting to kiss him, wanting to make him like them or be more popular or wanting to be the girl they all talked about. And they'd known how to kiss, known exactly what they wanted out of each amorous encounter because they had done it all before.

But Rose, Rose was completely different. She _didn't_ want this, or at least she didn't want to want it. And yet, she did. Maybe what made her so different is that she didn't want what kissing him would do for her. She wanted _him._ She valued _him, his _kisses and how _he _made her feel.

Or maybe his fevered brain was just conjuring up the best possible reason that he liked kissing her.

There were worse reasons, too. Reasons that he enjoyed these kisses more than anything else, reasons that he'd never told anyone, ever.

He could tell this was new to her. Every motion she made, every hint of hesitation before plunging right in bespoke innocence, inexperience.

Merlin, that just made him want her more. To know that he was the only one to touch her like this, to know her like this, only made him want to hold her tighter. And when she met everything he gave her with uncontained eagerness, he suddenly couldn't imagine ever letting her go.

It was more than he ever could have asked for. More than he had ever even dreamed of, late at night when his deepest longings could no longer be denied and he couldn't help but think of her.

He'd never told anyone, but he'd had a crush on her for years. He had never even truly admitted it to himself, but now, under the power of her touch, there was no denying it. She was his childhood dream, the one thing he had never thought he could possess.

And now he had her.

And that was dangerous. If he kept thinking like this, kept acting like this, he might actually never be able to let her go.

He should just focus on the _now_, on the hands in his hair and the gasps and moans leaking from her mouth as she enveloped him in a fog of sensual haze.

He still wasn't sure what she wanted from this, but whatever it was, he was more than happy to provide it.


	3. Chapter 3

**Rose's POV**

It could have been only seconds. It could have been minutes, or hours, or even days. Rose didn't care.

And then suddenly, it was over. They both pulled back, panting, staring at each other like they'd never met before.

Trying to catch her breath, Rose looked away and bit her lip. Any minute now, he'd make some sarcastic comment and ruin the whole thing, she just knew it. Tears began gathering in her eyes, as much a product of her high emotions as her dismay at what she knew must be coming.

Time passed, and no such comment was made. She chanced a look back at him, only to find his eyes closed tightly, fingers pressing against his temples. She had never seen him look more gorgeous.

All of a sudden, his eyes flashed open, startling her. "You should go to bed," he instructed, voice rough.

She shivered, suddenly feeling the cold winter corridor again, and nodded dumbly.

His face gentled, almost imperceptibly. "Come along, then," he said, sliding his arm around her waist and pulling her down the corridor. "You must have been up here for hours, it's time to get you warm again."

She didn't protest that remark, nor did she argue about his possessive hold on her. It appeared her brain had shut down for the night, finally, and all she could do was let him guide her to her dormitory.

At the door to the Gryffindor common room, she turned to him, and spoke. "Thank you." She paused, then opened her mouth again, wanting to say more. Wanting to say something about what had happened.

Their night had really defied words, though, so nothing came out. "Just, thank you," she said again after a moment, turning away and mumbling the password to a snoring Fat Lady. The portrait swung open, and she was almost through when she felt his hand on her shoulder, gently turning her to face him.

Silence hung in the air like a thick blanket.

"Sweet dreams," he said after a moment, pressing a soft kiss to her lips then allowed the portrait to close behind her.

She just stood there for a moment, feeling vaguely lost. Finally, she sighed and turned to head up the stairs to her dormitory, being as quiet as she possibly could.

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**Scorpius's POV**

Merlin. He never should've done that.

He was having enough trouble keeping her out of his mind already, how had he ever thought that kissing her would be a good idea? Now he was left reliving those kisses over and over again, the way she melted in his arms, those soft little moans she breathed into his ear, her scent enveloping him, her fingers combing through his hair, the taste of her warm, inviting mouth…

He groaned loudly. She was plaguing his thoughts more than ever now, and there was no chance for relief from her tempting presence. She would yet be the death of him.

He needed to shut his mind up and get some sleep. He couldn't be constantly imagining Rose in various states of undress, looking fresh and soft and wearing an inviting smile… He groaned again and doubled his pace, heading for the safety of his bed.

Finally making it back to his dormitory in the Ravenclaw tower, Scorpius threw himself down on his bed, pulling his pillow over his face.

Many thoughts of Rose later, he finally slipped into sleep.

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**Rose's POV**

That night, she could hardly sleep for remembering. The doors to her attraction, so tightly closed for so long, were no flung wide open, allowing thoughts of him to eclipse everything else in her mind. For once, she ignored her shame, ignored her sense, and let herself behave like a teenager in love.

Which she was, really. There was no denying it now. Years of aggravation and a recent grudging friendship had blossomed into something more.

Rose hugged her knees to her chest, reliving those glorious kisses with barely contained excitement. They had hardly compared to the dreams she'd had, stunning her with the intensity of him.

She wanted more.

She knew it was not right and yet she still didn't care. Now that she knew what it was like, he was worth any risk to her.

Things would look different in the morning, she knew. But for that one glorious night, she convinced herself not only that she was in love with him, but also that he was just as in love with her. In her late night sleep-crazed dreaming, it didn't seem unreasonable.

So for just one night, she allowed herself to dream an impossible dream.

Then the morning came, and with it came the return of common sense.

Rose opened her eyes and groaned, her memories of the night before flooding into her mind in a shameful rush. How she'd welcomed Scorpius's kisses, how she'd given herself over to his magic without a hint of hesitation, how she'd actually hoped he might be in love with her.

That would never work, she reminded herself, struggling to push the memories to the back of her mind as she made her way down to breakfast. He was completely wrong for her, completely unsuitable.

They couldn't be in love. They hated each other for so long…he hated her, right up until they had to work together as prefects. And even then, it was only the most tentative of friendships…all they ever did was fight…

He was impossible and dangerous and hotheaded and stubborn…he was crazy…he was angry and mocking so often, much as it hurt her to admit it…he was frustrating and infuriating and he loved to make her miserable…he had never gotten along with her family…and besides, he practically had a whole harem of girls at his beck and call. Why would he want her?

Why _would _he want her?

They would never work. That was the final answer, the thing that nothing could change. Rose sighed, sitting down at the Gryffindor table and pouring herself a goblet of pumpkin juice. She looked up, and her gaze was immediately caught by Scorpius, sitting at the Ravenclaw table and looking oh so good in the morning light…

His head turned suddenly, and she found her eyes being met by his. Even though he was across the room, a slight tingle ran down her spine. His eyes seemed to glint knowingly at her, and she felt a blush beginning to creep across her face. At the sight of it, he grinned and winked, then turned away.

She blushed even harder, turning back to her plate and busying herself with buttering a piece of toast. Just then, her cousin Lily slid in to the seat beside her and sat there, looking expectant.

Rose just looked at her. "What?" she asked, sounding a bit defensive.

"Tell me _everything_," Lily gushed.

Oh no. Oh no no no. What could Scorpius have told people, which would have her cousin so excited to hear 'everything'? And how on earth had the gossip passed this quickly?

Best to play it cool, Rose thought. "Everything about what?"

Lily looked surprised. "About you a Scorpius, of course. I saw that look. I saw your blush. What happened between yesterday and today that could make you go from complaining about him and cursing his name to blushing when he looks at you?"

Rose gave a sigh of relief. Scorpius hadn't said anything. _Yet_, she amended. Scorpius hadn't said anything about their encounter _yet._ In the meantime, all she had to do was deal with her annoyingly perceptive cousin.

That, she could handle.

Him? Maybe not so much….

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**A/N:** Chapter three! Thanks for all the lovely reviews, you guys. Hope you enjoy!

~Star


	4. Chapter 4

**Scorpius's POV**

If he'd thought his unruly imagination was bad before, it was nothing compared to now. Now he had a whole slew of actual experiences to supplement his dreaming, and supplement they did indeed.

After falling asleep long after he'd left Rose, Scorpius was treated to hot dreams of Rose. All those things he'd tried to push out of his mind came swirling back him, catching him and holding him in a state of unquenched need all night. He woke up early, drenched in sweat and achingly hard.

She just wouldn't leave him alone.

Even here, down at breakfast, she tortured him. He sensed it the moment she walked into the Great Hall, could practically feel her eyes on him from across the room.

At last he could take it no longer. He turned and looked at her, not sure what he was expecting to see.

And there she was, in all her glory. Hair mussed, clothes rumpled, as though she'd just rolled out of bed. And—what was that? A blush began to spread over her cheeks, and he couldn't help but smile.

She was adorable, he thought, winking at her. He was certain now that he wasn't the only one having trouble forgetting the events of the previous night.

That thought made him sober, and he looked away.

What did they do now? Now that neither of them could look at each other without remembering fire and passion, how did they go on? Their escapade was certainly not something he'd want bandied about, and he was certain she felt the same.

How, then, could they work together as prefects anymore? What would happen the next time they were assigned a patrol together, late at night? _How could he keep his hands off her the next time they were alone, now that he knew she was just as much a firecracker as he had always expected?_

She looked over at him again, then quickly turned away, her face turning, if possible, even more red. How far down did that wonderful color go, he wondered, thoughts momentarily derailed as he suddenly contemplated a mental picture of Rose in far fewer clothes.

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**Rose's POV**

"He's looking at you again," Lily whispered.

Rose ducked her head slightly, then peeked over at the Ravenclaw table again. There he still was, and just like Lily had said, he was looking at her. No, not just looking at her. _Staring_ at her. It was clear he'd been looking at her for a while now, eyes glazed over, seeming to be lost in thought.

She felt warmth spreading over her cheeks and looked down again, not quite sure what to make of this.

Maybe all of her late-night dreaming _hadn't_ been that far off. Maybe he really did like her like–well, like _that._

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**Lily's POV**

Lily was curious.

Watching Rose blush and Scorpius stare all through breakfast had certainly been enlightening. There was something going on between her cousin and Scorpius, and Lily aimed to find out what.

She'd known about Rose's crush for years, possibly before Rose herself knew. And she'd seen Scorpius get distracted plenty of times around Rose. She'd always known something was going to happen there, and now it looked like it finally had.

But _what_ had happened?

It was clear that neither Rose nor Scorpius would ever get up the guts, or the initiative, to actually _do _something about their attraction. But it was just as obvious that they were perfect for each other.

Lily sighed in frustration. There was no way she could set them up, either. They were both too intelligent to ever fall for any of her plans, and too stubborn for it to actually work.

She'd just have to wait and see.

Meanwhile, there was some money she could make on bets…

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**Scorpius's POV**

**Several days later**

He was going mad.

It had been days since he'd seen her, days since she'd as much as looked in his direction. How could she be so bloody controlled when it took all he had to keep from touching her every chance he got? How could she have so easily forgotten what they'd done?

No one seemed to notice a thing. After that first breakfast, when he couldn't keep his eyes off her and she had been having a similar problem trying to ignore him, he'd been sure that someone would notice the change. That would force their hands, force them to figure out what was going on, just to have something to tell people.

But when, after that, everything had returned to normal, Scorpius had never been so annoyed at his friends. How could they not have seen what had changed? How could girls still be throwing themselves at him, still be trying to capture his attention when it was permanently fixed on someone else?

And worst of all, how could Rose possibly be ignoring him like this?

She was just as distant as she'd always been, perhaps even more so. In every class they shared, she made a particular effort to never meet his gaze, never even look in his direction. They didn't share patrols any more, and in between classes Rose would hide in the Gryffindor common room where he couldn't go, instead of in the library like she used to.

By all appearances, she'd completely forgotten him.

He gritted his teeth. No way was she going to forget him _that_ easily. He'd _make_ her remember, _make _her pay attention to him, force his presence on her and make her enjoy it.

Beginning to smile, he wracked his brain for what class she would be getting out of next.

A little friendly ambush should solve all his problems.

He grinned, and set off from Ravenclaw tower.


	5. Chapter 5

**Rose's POV**

Rose was walking through the corridor on her way back from Arithmancy, her book bag slung over one shoulder and mind wandering. She had a free period next and was looking forward to taking a nap, hoping to assuage the exhaustion dragging at her mind.

Not that she would sleep very well once she got there. A certain very distracting person had been plaguing her dreams at night.

She sighed in frustration, pushing her hair out of her face. He just wouldn't leave her alone, occupying her thoughts all day long, bringing blushes to her cheeks every time she furtively looked at him in class, teasing her in her dreams with memories of what would never, _could_ never be repeated.

Rose sighed again, this time in longing. He'd been practically ignoring her for days, it seemed. Every time she snuck a glance at him, he was looking somewhere else, talking to someone else, flashing that smile of his at someone else.

Couldn't anyone see that he was _hers_ now? She couldn't bear it for him to ignore her like this, pay attention to all those stupid girls vying for his affection, laugh at their stupid jokes and melt them with his 'casual' touches.

_She _should be the only one he touched like that, the only one that could make him smile at her, the only one to make him laugh.

Mentally kicking herself, Rose wanted to slam her fist into someone's face. She shouldn't let him get to her. She just had to increase the distance between them so she could shut the door once more on her feelings.

Just then, an arm shot out of nowhere, grabbing her collar and dragging her into a nearby broom cupboard. Before she could even scream, a hand trailed softly down her face. Recognizing the touch, she swallowed her scream, allowing her bag to slip off her shoulder and land on the floor with a muted thump.

Every sense was heightened by the darkness. She could hear his breath slipping in and out of his lungs, could hear her own quickened breathing, could feel the heat washing off his body in waves, could scent the spicy smell of him.

And when his hand came up once more to cup her face, she sensed the movement even before his touch sent sparks down her skin.

"Scorp—" her whisper was suddenly cut short by his lips on hers, and fire slid through her veins.

He roughly tore his mouth from hers. "No names," came his harsh whisper. "No names, no words, just this." And his mouth slammed back onto hers.

Merlin, she could hardly complain. Who needed words when they could have _feeling_?

And for a while, all thought was lost in a haze of kisses and touches, panted breathing in the darkness and sense flung to the farthest reaches of their minds.

Until finally, she couldn't take it anymore. Wonderful as this was, she had to speak to him, had to understand what was going on.

Pushing him away, she scrambled for her wand, drawing it out and whispering "_Lumos._" They both flinched in the sudden light.

"What." His voice was rough, sliding over her like a cat's raspy tongue.

"I, um… I wanted to just…" she took a deep breath. "Scorpius, what are we doing?"

He grinned, slow and knowing. "Enjoying ourselves. Or at least, that's what I'm doing. Is it not the same for you?"

She blushed. "Um, that's not the…um, the problem. And that wasn't what I meant. I meant, what the bloody hell are you doing snogging me senseless in a cupboard when you've been hardly bothering to look in my direction for the past several days?"

"What?" He sounded shocked, disbelieving. "_I_ haven't been the one ignoring _you, you've _ been ignoring _me._ Every time I looked at you, you were always busy with someone else, never even bothering to glance at me. You've been avoiding me during meals and in between classes, too. I haven't seen you in the library for days."

"Well yeah, I've been avoiding you, because you're always with those stupid girls who worship you! Why would I want to stick around, just to watch you coddle them and laugh at all their stupid, horrible jokes!"

By now, his features had relaxed into a self-satisfied smile.

She glared at him, not sure what he was so smug about, and his smile widened.

"You're just jealous," He pronounced, looking ever more smug by the moment.

She snorted. "As if. Why would I be jealous of featherbrains like that?"

He moved a bit closer to her, and she backed up. He continued to stalk forward until he had her pinned in the corner, her wand shoved between them, peering down into her eyes. "You don't like let girls hang around me when they only want a piece of my reputation, and don't even care what I'm saying. You don't like that I smile when they approach, that I pay them more attention than I pay you, that I laugh when they speak."

She opened her mouth to deny his claims, but he ducked his head, his hot breath on her ear making tingles run down her spine.

"You want to know the truth?" he whispered in her ear. "I'm laughing at them. Laughing at their pitiful attempts to mean something to me, because you know what? They will never succeed. And you know why?"

"No," she whispered back, not entirely certain she wanted to hear the answer.

"None of them could ever match you."

She blinked, not having expected that.

He continued. "None of them care what I have in my mind, only what's on my body. They don't want to know what I think about the new Minister of Magic, or the best way to clean out an infestation of Doxies, or what I want to be when we leave school."

Rose smiled now, recalling their conversations. "A Healer," she said softly.

She felt him nod against her. "Exactly," he said, drawing back. "You don't want me to just listen to you prattle on. You don't want me just because I'll make you cool, or because you want to hook up with me."

She frowned, remembering an echo of her long-forgotten resolve to kick him out of her life. "I don't want you at all."

He smiled. "Precisely. You don't want to want me, and yet, you still do."

There was no real way she could argue with that. Not convincingly, anyway. So she gave up and fell back into his arms with a sigh, letting the world slip away again into the bliss of being with him.

XXXX

**Lily's POV**

"Gather round, gather round!" Lily called to the redheaded gang filling the Gryffindor common room. "I'm taking bets!"

Of course, her family could never resist a call like that. They immediately surrounded her, all speaking at once, demanding to know what there was to bet on, what the odds were, who was backing her, and so many more things than she could pick out.

She pulled out her wand, smiling faintly. She knew how to deal with this. "Silencio!" she cried, and immediately the whole group fell silent.

Lily mentally thanked Rose for teaching her that infinitely useful spell. "Alright, now that I have your attention, I will explain. I'm starting a pool on when our Rosie will get together with one Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy."

She released the spell, bracing herself for the cacophony to come.

And indeed, the shouting that followed her little announcement rivaled any she had heard from her family before. Of course, no topic nearly as controversial as this one had ever been sprung on them so suddenly, so she couldn't really blame them.

Removing herself from the mob, Lily set up herself up in an armchair in the corner, notebook and quill at the ready to take down bets.

Soon enough, people had digested the information enough to begin placing bets on it.

"I'm putting down five Sickles on 'never,'" James said. "She hates him, he annoys her. It'll never work."

Lily dutifully wrote James's bet down on a blank page, hiding her smile. She knew he'd lose, and he always hated losing. This could get fun.

"Put us down for a Galleon each on him kissing her in public by Monday," Molly and Lucy said simultaneously.

"What!" came James's cry from across the room. "You've got to be kidding me! That'll never happen!"

"He's right," said Al, pushing to the front. "I've seen them work together, it's never pretty. I'll bet ten Sickles on them remaining tentative friends, but no more."

The three girls looked at each other, then giggled, rolling their eyes at the blindness of the males in their family. It was obvious to all three of them that something was going on, and all of them knew that Rose was not a very patient person. Whatever had happened would culminate in a concrete _something_ soon enough.

"Alright," called Louis from further back. "I don't agree with these clods, but I think your timelines are far too short. I'll put a Galleon on them going to Hogsmeade together for Valentine's Day in another month, but nothing happening before that."

Lily recorded his bet. Man, this was going to be one heck of a win for whoever got it.

The extended Weasley family continued to place their bets, and the evening wore on. Some people placed multiple bets, on different aspects of the relationship, so by the time the betting had wrapped up the pot was sweet indeed.

Lily grinned. She was going to be one rich witch soon enough. Now that everyone else had placed their bets, it was time for her own.

"And for myself," Lily said dramatically, pausing for effect, "I put five Galleons on them being in a full relationship by Saturday."

Silence fell. That was only two days from now. No one could quite believe that Lily, normally cool-headed and practical Lily, was wagering so much on something so unlikely.

She grinned to herself. Then again, no one else had seen what she'd seen in the broom closet in the seventh floor corridor. Just imagine the shock on their faces when they all lost to her.

Feeling smug and satisfied, Lily flipped her notebook closed and headed up to her dormitory. She'd be rich in no time.

XXXXX

**A/N:** Alright, here's the next chapter guys. Nearly half way done :) Reviews are much appreciated!

~Star


	6. Chapter 6

**Scorpius's POV**

Time passed. Scorpius had no idea how much of it, being far too wrapped up in a certain girl named Rose to care about such a thing as time.

But clearly, time mattered to her, because she abruptly pulled away from him with a cry of "Merlin, _look at the time!_"

Feeling dazed, he blinked at her.

"Scorpius, I have to go! Oh, this is bad, this is bad, I have Potions but I don't have the textbook with me, I was going to pick it up during my free period when I was going back to my room, but now there's no time, there's no time and the professor will be really upset with me—" she was making herself more and more panicky by the second.

He took hold of her shoulders, forcing her to look at him. "Relax."

"Relax? _Relax_?" How can you tell me to relax when I'm either going to be late or unprepared for class and everyone will be upset —"

He cut her off. "It's okay. Ah," he said when she opened her mouth to protest some more, putting his finger to her lips to shush her. Her soft, warm lips, so smooth, so kissable… He shook his head slightly to focus himself. "Here's what we'll do. You will go to class."

"But—" she tried to interrupt.

He stared at her until she silenced. "You'll go to class. I'll run to Ravenclaw tower and grab my copy of the Potions book, which I will then come and bring to you in class. You won't be late, and you'll have your book just as soon as I can manage it."

"No, I'll have _your_ book," she said.

He shrugged. "Same difference."

She looked at him for a while, before finally seeming to make up her mind. "Okay. We'll go with that. And thank you," she said, leaning up on her tiptoes to press a kiss to his lips.

He grabbed her around the waist and pulled her to him, deepening the kiss, wanting to stay like this forever.

And then she pushed him away with a laugh. "Get off me, you rogue. I've got to get to class now. Go grab that book, will you?"

He saluted her. "As the lady wishes," he said, making a grad bow and gesturing towards the cupboard door.

She waltzed out of it like a queen, the yelped as he smacked her ass lightly. "Get running, young lady," he said sternly, pointing down the corridor.

It was her turn to salute. "Yes, sir."

He grinned. "See you in mere moments."

"I certainly hope so," she responded, and he felt his heart tighten.

This was so easy, so natural. How would he _ever_ keep his hands off her now?

XXXX

**Rose's POV**

Slipping into her seat in the dungeon, Rose felt like everyone's eyes were on her. In truth, it was just her imagination, but to her it certainly _felt_ like it. She was so sure that everyone was watching her, that everyone knew just exactly what she'd spent the last hour doing in a broom cupboard with Scorpius Malfoy.

Her face was absolutely bright red, she was sure, judging by the heat she felt in her cheeks. It was only a matter of time until someone noticed and commented, and then what would she say?

Before that problem could be reached, the professor strode up to the front of the room and silence fell.

"Ah. Good evening, class. Today we will be discussing poisons and antidotes, and the common components of all of them. Tomorrow you will all have a chance to apply the knowledge you gained today, and be making me both a poison of your choice and also the antidote. Now, if you would take out your books and turn to page 295." He turned to the board and began writing down notes, oblivious to the happenings of the class.

Rose gulped. Everyone around her was scrambling around in their bags, pulling out their books and leafing through them. She felt conspicuously still, conspicuously silent.

"Hey, Rosie, where's your book? Don't tell me you forgot it, now," her cousin leaned over to whisper.

"Shut it, Al," she whispered fiercely back. "I just…" she wracked her brain for a possible excuse.

Before she could think of one, the door to the classroom was thrown open and a slightly flushed Scorpius strode in, clutching his textbook in one hand. He scanned the room, then grinned when his gaze alighted on her. Walking over, his smile grew even wider as he took in her blush.

"Don't leave this with me the next time we're studying," he said, giving her the book, and the perfect excuse.

She smiled her thanks up at him.

Beside her, Al muttered, "Since when do you study with _him_?"

She ignored him, turning to the book on her desk and flipping it open, expecting Scorpius to just leave.

He didn't.

Didn't he realize that the eyes of the entire class were on them? Didn't he realize that everyone was wondering just what in Merlin's name Scorpius Malfoy was doing running favors for Rose Weasley?

He apparently didn't, since he soon drawled, "Aren't you forgetting something, darling?"

"What?" She looked up at him, ears flushing both in response to his endearment and in response to the murmurs of interest from the rest of the class. She liked being called 'darling' a little bit too much, she admitted to herself. But she wasn't sure she wanted the rest of the school to know about whatever she and Scorpius had yet.

"This." To her never ending shock, he leaned down and pressed a quick kiss to her lips.

Rose's gasp was not the loudest. As Scorpius walked from the room, hands in his pockets and whistling, Rose was suddenly the object of everyone's attention, and she felt the pressure of a dozen sets of eyes on her as she turned back to her book.

Next to her, Al seemed to be having quite the conniption. "Rosie, Scorpius just—you just—he… you… Rosie, what haven't you been telling me?"

"Not now, Al," she muttered, trying to hide behind her hair. She hadn't been sure it was possible to blush harder than she had been before, but the redness of her visage now put all previous blushes to shame.

"But—"

"_Not now!_" she hissed. She could still feel the eyes of the rest of the class on her, could hear their whispers and speculations.

Thankfully, the professor then continued with the lesson, but Rose was still the object of attention for the entire hour, being forced to endure endless giggles and whispered questions. Seething with righteousness and anger, she born it out in silence, promising she was going to hex the stuffing out of Scorpius.

When the class was over, she practically ran up to her dormitory.

Merlin, she was going to _kill that boy_.

XXXXX

**A/N:** Alright, next chapter's up! Aren't I doing so well at keeping to schedule? Three days between updates!

Please review - I always love to get feedback from you guys. :)

~Star


	7. Chapter 7

**Scorpius's POV**

The rumors started immediately, just as he'd known they would.

Good. His plan was working.

There was no way she could ignore him now.

He'd thought of it on the way to give Rose his book. He'd been pondering their relationship, whatever it was, and how Rose seemed to fight it. Until he got her alone and kissed the sense out of her, that is. He needed to figure out some way to become indispensible to her, some way to make sure she could never forget about him again.

And then he hit upon it. What better way to make sure she'd never ignore him than to start people talking about them? And with his reputation, it would be ridiculously easy.

And indeed it was. All it took was one little kiss, and he could already hear the rumors beginning to fly as he left the room.

Feeling smug, he headed down to dinner, only to get intercepted by Rose and dragged into an empty classroom.

This day just got better and better, he thought to himself.

Then he saw her face.

And felt himself being abruptly wrenched off the ground by his ankle.

Oh, this would likely be nowhere near as fun as he'd hoped…

XXXX

**Rose's POV**

"_Levicorpus!_" Rose shrieked, hoisting him off the ground with a flick of her wand.

He looked so comically shocked, upside down with his tie around his ears and robes over his head. She would've laughed, had she not been so furious with him.

Anger bubbling up inside her, she stalked towards Scorpius, glaring. "Do you realize what you've done?"

When he didn't answer, she continued. "Since your little public display of affection, everyone has been talking about me. Questioning me. Pestering me. And you know what? I don't even know what to tell them!"

He looked almost smug, the little bastard. It was in that moment she realized he must have planned this.

Narrowing her eyes, she continued her rant. "So, the only thing I can think is that you're too much of a coward to actually _ask me out_. Instead, you start everyone talking, and you just figure I'll go along with it to make both of our lives easier?"

When his eyes widened fractionally, she knew she had hit on the truth.

And honestly, it pleased her. That he would want a relationship with her, and that it meant enough to him that he 'asked' her in such a way that she would have a very, very difficult time refusing him.

Of course, she didn't entirely approve of his methods. But still, a significant part of her was still jumping for joy over the fact that he had kissed her, much less getting excited about having an actual relationship with him.

Of course, she couldn't tell him that. Not right away, anyway. It would go to his head, and he'd become insufferably arrogant about the whole thing. No, she'd have to keep her joy to herself for the moment.

He already had far too much control over her emotions, she acknowledged. Without care, he'd have her laughing or crying at the snap of his fingers.

She knew she'd have to try and resist becoming quite too deeply involved before she better knew where things were going. But still, he liked her!

Trying her hardest to keep her angry expression on her face, Rose flicked her wand and dumped him on the ground before resuming speaking, although it was far too hard to summon the same anger as she had felt before.

XXXX

**Scorpius's POV**

Merlin, the girl was psychic. How had she known? How had she guessed immediately what his plan was?

So, alright, she wasn't _entirely_ correct. He wasn't trying to avoid asking her out, but he did want her to just go along with what people were saying about them.

But really, this was uncanny.

She was still speaking as he got up and dusted himself off. "—next time you want a relationship, maybe you should consider asking the girl first, before starting the whole school talking. After all, what if she says no? That would certainly be embarrassing. Both for you, and for her. Really, Scorpius, you ought to be more considerate and careful. Think about the consequences of your actions, mm?" She prattled on.

He stopped listening. Something had changed. Rose wouldn't babble like this if she were really upset, still.

So….she must not still be upset. He grinned. His plan had evidently worked, far better than he'd ever imagined. Now that she'd already made the jump, being in a relationship with her was hardly something to avoid.

In fact, if he had ever thought of something other than just when he could get her alone again, he might have brought it up himself.

Because, even though he wasn't strictly a 'relationships' person, the idea had definite merits. He could touch her whenever he liked. No one would question them spending time together, and he could do things like take her to Hogsmeade or give her the most beautiful, delicate jewelry on Valentine's Day or bend her over backwards and kiss her in the middle of the corridor and no one would really question it.

Not to mention the fact that being in a relationship with her might mean certain…benefits…that'd she would otherwise withhold from him.

Now that alone was reason to ask her out, Scorpius decided. Luckily enough for him, though, she thought he already had proposed a relationship. So all he had to do now was reap the benefits.

This had certainly turned out far better than he had anticipated, he realized, congratulating himself before focusing back on Rose again.

She was still going, mouth working a mile a minute to impart vital wisdom upon him, he was sure she thought.

Deciding he was well tired of her blather, he reached out and pulled her into his embrace, sealing his mouth over hers and cutting off the chatter. Giving her a hard kiss, he reveled in the fact that now they could do this whenever they liked, without necessarily having to hide away or keep secrets.

Then he pulled back, stomach growling. She looked slightly dazed, and he smiled. "Come on," he said, taking her hand. "I'm hungry. Let's go down to dinner."

XXXXX

**A/N: ** And we're more than half way done! I'm gonna keep up with this schedule, I think, so the story can finish before I go back to school (and get immediately swamped in homework).

Hope you're enjoying the story! Reviews are always lovely to get! *wink, wink* I love the feedback!

~Star


	8. Chapter 8

**Rose's POV**

This wasn't so bad, Rose decided. Once she didn't have to face people all alone, she didn't mind the whispers as she and Scorpius sat down at the Gryffindor table together.

In fact, she realized as Scorpius poured her a goblet of pumpkin juice, this might be better than not bad.

And when she saw Al catch sight of them and spit up his juice onto Louis, she knew it was downright wonderful. Anything that could make her cousins pause and gawk had to be a very good thing.

Plus, this good thing came with the added benefits of Scorpius. It was as if all of her subconscious dreaming for the past three years had suddenly become reality.

They spent dinner talking and laughing together, ignoring everyone around them. Which was not as easy as it could have been: it seemed as if the entirety of Hogwarts was in the Great Hall right then, and everyone was talking about the two of them.

But with Scorpius, it seemed as if the rest of the world melted away, leaving just them in a little glowing bubble of life. Rose couldn't remember ever feeling quite this content.

No, it was more than contentment, she decided. This was true, honest to goodness happiness. Nearly euphoria, in fact. And all thanks to one stubborn boy who finally came to his senses and got over his silly addiction to annoying her.

Of course, she would miss his teasing remarks…they had made her feel appreciated in some half-hidden layer of her self, even while on the surface she became flustered and annoyed at all of his teasing. But now that would likely end; he had no reason to need to attract her attention or piss her off anymore.

Wait.

God, she was such an idiot. Of course he wouldn't need to attract her attention with insults anymore. Duh. They were a couple. She would get all of the attention and appreciation without any of the annoyance or obnoxiousness.

Yep, there was no doubt about it. Scorpius Malfoy was the best thing that had ever happened to Rose.

XXXX

**Lily's POV**

"I can't believe it!" Albus stormed into the Gryffindor common room after dinner, Louis following just behind. "I just can't believe it!"

"Can't believe what," Lily asked distractedly, trying to think of the ninth use of dragon's blood. She could almost picture the words on the page in the textbook….

Al's loud voice broke her concentration. "Rose and Scorpius!" he shouted in her ear, making Lily jump and smear her ink, and making everyone else in the common room turn to look at him a bit oddly. "Sorry," he called out to the rest of the room. "Go back to…er…whatever you were doing before. Just ignore this entirely!

"So," he turned back to Lily. "How did you know this was going to happen?"

She couldn't keep a small smile from appearing on her face. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Lily. God dammit."

She put her quill down, having finally given up on remembering the last four uses of dragon's blood. This was just a bit too interesting to miss. "How did I know something was going to happen with Rose and Scorpius, you mean?"

"Yes," he ground out.

She placidly folded her hands in front of her. "What brought all this on, Albus?"

"Scorpius was at our table today," Louis said. "It was great, Al nearly choked on his own spit at the sight of them together."

Oh, this was excellent. Not even Friday yet, and already they were going to dinner together. She was going to win all those bets, for sure. "Well. I just thought that, you know, they've been friends for a while now," she said, careful to not give away more than she wanted them to know. "So it's not unreasonable that something might develop."

Al snorted. "That doesn't mean anything. You've been friends with Lorcan Scamander for ages now, and you're still not anything more than friends."

Lily blushed. Oh, how blind her brother was…and what a good thing, too. He'd probably hex them both if he knew exactly what Lily and Lorcan had been doing in the empty classroom up on the fourth floor for the past year...

"And anyway," Al continued, "how would you know that something was going to happen _right now_? I mean, face the facts, Lily. Rose gets all morose for a couple days, then you bet a rather large amount of money that she'll go out with Scorpius, and then mere hours later they're at dinner together, despite never being seen in each other's company before now without being forced to it."

Bloody hell. Of all the times for her brother to be even a touch perceptive, it had to be now? "Well," she said. "I may or may not have caught Rose blushing when Scorpius stared at her over breakfast a couple of mornings ago." She held her breath, hoping that would prove to be sufficient to satisfy her brother's apparent frustration.

Al looked at her, then walked away, apparently satisfied.

She breathed out and reached for her quill, once more glad for having such a dim brother. It might be a pain sometimes, but other times his lack of perception came in very, very, handy.

Louis, on the other hand, was less satisfied. After Al left, he sat down in the chair next to Lily, watching her scribble words across the paper.

Finally, she couldn't stand it anymore.

"What," she said crossly, looking up at her cousin with a slight scowl on her face.

"You didn't tell Al the truth."

Damn. "Of course I did."

"Well then, it wasn't the whole truth." Louis leaned a bit closer. "You might be good at this whole guessing-relationships thing, Lily, but no one's _that_ good. No way would you stake that much money on a couple unless you were reasonably sure you were right. More sure than just seeing Rose blush."

She stared at him for a moment, trying to decide on the best tactic for dealing with him. "Fine. You're right, I may have left a bit out when I told Al why I knew this was going to happen."

"Alright," Louis said, getting to his feet. "I just wanted to make you say it. I don't much care what it is, and I don't care about your betting pool, because I've already just won five Galleons off of your brother. He was so convinced they'd never get together, it'll take him a bit of time to come round."

Lily smiled. "Al might be exceptional at Quidditch and spell casting, but he's got a lot to learn about people," she agreed, sharing a look of exasperation with her cousin.

"No kidding," Louis laughed. "Well, I'm off, then. Filtch could use something to clean up in the Owlery, I think."

"Night," she called after him.

Well, that had certainly been interesting, Lily thought to herself. It was nice to know that, while her own brothers might be slower than molasses in January when it came to figuring people out, not all her male relatives were.

Now, if she could only finish this darn essay…


	9. Chapter 9

**Scorpius's POV**

They spent the evening after dinner wandering through the school, going nowhere in particular, merely enjoying each other's company. No longer did they have to be at odds; now, already, they existed as two parts of a whole, as if they had always been destined to be together.

Of course, Scorpius didn't believe in destiny. Nor did he believe in love. Regardless, whatever he had with Rose was the best thing he could remember.

And it had been less than a day since he had been feeling lonely and forgotten. How quickly things turned around.

But all too soon, it was late. Both of them had classes in the morning, and Rose had to go on patrol. Reluctantly, they split up at the portrait into the Gryffindor common room.

"Night, Scorpius." She kissed his cheek.

"Sweet dreams, Rosie," he whispered, then pulled her in for a full-on snog before letting her go.

She smiled at him as she stepped through the portrait hole, the painting swinging closed behind her.

He turned and walked towards Ravenclaw tower, feeling the odd urge to whistle.

Suddenly, his solitude was broken. Someone else came along and joined him, walking through the corridors just behind him, as if following.

He looked.

It was Jasmine Nott, one of the most persistent of his 'fan club.' The Slytherin had been in his bed and out through the months, and had been completely aware of the fact that he didn't _do _relationships. Well, until now, that is.

In fact, that was what he liked most about her: the fact that he could sleep with other people while he was sleeping with her and she wouldn't care.

Well actually, that was really her only likeable trait. Otherwise, she was just another whiny, self-absorbed girl trying to enhance herself through association with him.

And now she was here in the corridor with him, following him for some sort of purpose.

It would have been okay, except that things were completely different now. No longer was he the man who "didn't do relationships," now he was the lucky, lucky man who had something going with the most intelligent, gorgeous girl in the school.

No way was he going to screw that up.

So whatever Jasmine wanted, he'd just have to turn her down. Because there was really only one thing she wanted from him, and he didn't want to give her that anymore.

"Scorp, honey," her silky-smooth voice sounded overly sugary and out of place in the otherwise silent hallway. "Hey, I was wondering if, you know, you were busy tonight, or if you're up for some….fun."

He turned to face her completely, opening his mouth to reject her, but was surprised by just how close she was to him.

"Shh." Before he could speak, she placed a finger over his open mouth. "I can see that you're going to reject me; you must already have plans. But Scorp, baby…" She leaned closer to him, aggressively thrusting out her cleavage. "Cancel them," she whispered in his ear.

The she grabbed his head in her hands and forcibly pulled him down to her, kissing him, thrusting her tongue against his mouth.

He kept his lips tightly together, grabbing her upper arms and pushing her away from him.

She pulled back with a hurt look. "Scorp? What's wrong, baby?"

"Nothing's wrong," he said through gritted teeth. Just who did she think she was, to assault him in the corridor? "But Jasmine, you really should think before you act. You knew I was going to refuse you. That's still true."

"So…I can't change your mind? Really?" she asked, seductively sliding her finger down his shirt buttons, slipping the last one out of its button hole.

He slapped her hands away. "_No._ And in the future, you shouldn't even try. I'm not going to sleep with you again."

She pouted. "But Scorp, whyyyy?" she whined. "What did I do?"

He sighed. She was not going to take this well. "Because I don't want to anymore. It's nothing to do with you, I just don't want you anymore. I don't want…casual sex." There was no way he could state it plainer than that. She couldn't possibly misinterpret him now.

Now she scowled. "Why not? What changed? It can't be all that nonsense about you and the scrawny Weasley girl, can it?"

"As a matter of fact," he stated baldly, "it is exactly that. And she's perfect."

Jasmine drew back, a look of almost horror crossing her face. "_That_ wispy excuse for a girl? Scorp, what are you thinking? You need a girl with more…assets. Like mine." Shamelessly, she cupped her breasts for him.

His gaze never wavered from her face. "Jasmine, just give up. I don't want you anymore, and I certainly won't sleep with you. So just leave me alone, and for Merlin's sake, _stop calling me Scorp!_ I can't stand it any longer."

By now, her expression matched that of a person confronted with the most simultaneously disgusting and evil thing they had ever seen. "Fine," she spat. "Just drop me the second that Weasley bitch spreads her legs for you."

Faster than she could blink, he had her shoved up against the wall, his wand out and pressed against her throat. "You do not get to talk about Rose like that," Scorpius stated calmly, trying to disguise the anger roiling inside of him. "She is worth twenty of you. You will say nothing against her ever again."

"Or what?" she sneered.

"Or you'll have me to deal with." Scorpius released her, and she sucked in a breath as she brushed off her rumpled clothing. "Is that clear?"

She refused to answer him, continuing to brush and pull at her clothes, determined to make the fabric hang perfectly on her.

"IS THAT CLEAR_?"_ he thundered.

She jumped, then looked up at him malevolently. "Crystal."

"Good. Then get away from me," he said, turning his back on her and continuing on his way to Ravenclaw tower.

He didn't hear the whisper that echoed in the corridor after his departure.

"You'll pay for this, you bastard. But first, I have some _competition_ to deal with."

And with that, Jasmine turned and strode away, her purpose clear in her mind.

XXXXX

**A/N: **I do believe this is the longest story I've ever published. Only four (I think) more chapters to go!

If you liked it, please leave a review! ^_^

~Star


	10. Chapter 10

**Rose's POV**

She felt like she was floating all morning. From waking up to the warm glow of happiness as memories came flooding back into her brain, to the smiles she got from her friends as she walked down to breakfast with him.

Who knew life could be this sweet.

Who knew he could be this sweet.

Everything she'd heard about his relationships must be false; no man could go straight from being a player to commitment. Everyone else must have been wrong about his propensity for cheating.

And he certainly was committed to her; that was for sure. Meeting her outside of the Gryffindor common room to walk down to breakfast with her, holding her hand even as people stared at them, whispering jokes in her ear to distract her from the murmurs, these were not the actions of an uncommitted person.

And how distracting he was…

Rose shook her head, struggling to focus. He wasn't even with her anymore, and still she couldn't pay attention.

She was seated at a table in the library, attempting to write an essay on the properties of Vanished objects while Scorpius was in Ancient Runes. Oddly enough, she felt lonely, even though mere days before she had routinely studied alone without issue.

Now, however, it was like she became somehow _less_ when Scorpius wasn't there.

Sighing, Rose gave up on getting more work done. Planting her chin in her hand, she stared dreamily at the shelves, allowing herself to daydream.

Suddenly, her imaginings were interrupted. The chair across from her was pulled out, and a girl sat down in a puff of perfume.

Jasmine Nott, Slytherin and well known for being a bit of a slag. Well, really, more than a bit.

Rose couldn't imagine what possessed this girl to come to talk to _her_; they had hardly exchanged a word before.

"Hey, Rose, sweetie." Jasmine smiled, looking almost wolfish with her teeth bared.

Rose smiled weakly back. "Hi, Jasmine."

"I just wanted to congratulate you," Jasmine said, still all smiles. "Scorpius Malfoy is quite the catch; there's hardly a girl in Hogwarts who isn't scheming for him."

Rose waited patiently to see where this was going.

"But, you know, it takes a certain kind of girl to be with Scorp," she continued. "Someone who can handle all his fire in bed, but won't get upset when he takes that fire elsewhere, too. Girls like that are rare; for some reason, all of them want him all to themselves." Jasmine laughed throatily. "Can you even imagine? Something that good should be shared."

Heart sinking, Rose felt she had to ask. "What do you mean, exactly?"

"What do I mean about the fire? Oh, sweetie, you have no idea." Jasmine laughed again, speaking over Rose's soft protests that it wasn't what she meant. "Has he kissed you yet? Oh, of course he has, what am I saying. Scorp isn't one to wait, is he? But just wait until he has you naked, spread on his bed, and he does that thing with his tongue—"

"Jasmine!" Rose broke in desperately, cheeks flaming, unwilling to hear any more about Scorpius's talents in bed from this girl. "That wasn't what I meant!"

Jasmine stopped, looking at Rose. "Oh, you were talking about Scorp's relationships, weren't you. I thought you would've known." She smiled without humor.

"Known what?" The words dripped from Rose's tongue, flavored by the bitter taste of dread.

"He doesn't really have them, of course. The word 'relationship' implies a certain amount of commitment and caring, doesn't it? And that's not what Scorpius does."

She couldn't be telling the truth…could she? Rose would've sworn that Scorpius had changed for her, but how could she know, really? "What does Scorpius do, then?"

Jasmine smiled vindictively this time. "He fucks you. And then he moves on."

Rose shook her head now, not wanting to hear anything more. Part of a relationship was trust, and that she would not give up on. "No, that's not true anymore. He really likes me, I can tell. He wouldn't do that."

"Oh, wouldn't he?"

Fear settled in her stomach like a lead brick at the certainty in the other girl's voice.

"Then what was he doing with me last night?" Jasmine said.

Silence.

There was a roaring in Rose's ears, almost eclipsing the damning words. This couldn't be happening…

"W-What do you mean?" she asked, afraid to hear the answer.

There was a gleam of triumph in Jasmine's eyes as she looked straight at Rose and grinned, showing all her teeth. "Exactly what I said."

Something funny was happening in Rose's chest. When, mere moments before, she had been perfectly fine, now there was a strange aching feeling in her chest, and her throat felt dry. It was like a ton of rocks suddenly landing on her spirit, pushing it down and burying all of the good feelings of the morning under a horrible sense of inevitability.

How had she ever thought that Scorpius would've changed for _her_? He didn't even like her. He spent his days looking for ways to annoy her, anger her. He loved to make her miserable. This could only be his newest prank.

She blinked back tears, unwilling to show Jasmine just how affected she was by her hurtful words.

Unfortunately, Jasmine saw anyway.

"Aw, poor wittle baby," she said in a baby voice. "Is you a wittle bit sad?" Then her tone changed to pure scorn. "Did you honestly think he liked you? Did he leave you last night with kisses and promises? Because he must have come running right to me after that. Looks like you weren't even worth a single night to him before he moved on." She planted her hands on her hips, looking supremely smug.

"No…No…I…" Rose stuttered, struggling to cope with this.

"It's okay. You're not his type anyway, right, sweetheart? Scorp likes his girls a little bit more…_endowed_. And less stuck up. What I don't understand is—" here she laughed, "—how you honestly thought he _liked_ you. Liked _you_. I guess he just wanted a bit of a challenge for once, but really, I would've thought an intelligent girl like you would've realized what he was really after."

Losing the battle with her emotions, Rose couldn't keep the tears from spilling out any longer. She slammed her textbook shut, picked up her parchment, and shoved both into her bag, practically running out of the library before Jasmine could make things any worse.

"Don't worry, sweetie!" Jasmine called after her, determined to have the last word. "I'll take care of him now that he's done with you!"

As Rose ran off, the other girl smirked. Purpose fulfilled. Now that the Weasley girl was out of the picture—and Jasmine was sure that she was, after that conversation—Scorpius would come running back to her.

"Never should've left in the first place," Jasmine grumbled, still smarting a bit over the rejection. And even if he didn't, then she'd already gotten her revenge on him.

Oh, being a bitch was just _so much fun_.


	11. Chapter 11

**Lily's POV**

Oh sweet Merlin, something was very, very wrong.

She had just been sitting there in the common room, casually 'forgetting' that she had to go to detention during this period. Huddled in an armchair in the corner of the common room, she'd just been settling in with a good book when the portrait swung open and Rose ran through the room, sobbing harder than Lily had ever seen her cry before.

Oh, this was bad, this was very, very bad.

So Lily did the only thing she could do and ran after Rose, skipping stairs in her haste to reach her cousin.

Entering the older girl's dormitory, she saw her cousin collapsed face down on her bed, shoulders shaking as she wept into her pillow.

Lily sat down on the edge of the bed and gently rested a hand on Rose's back, rubbing her soothingly. It was many long moment before Rose looked up, but when she did, there was a world of despair in her reddened eyes.

"Oh, sweetie, what happened?" Lily asked, reaching up to brush a lock of hair off Rose's forehead.

"I don't know," replied Rose, voice still choked with tears. "I thought…." She trailed off.

"Thought what?" Lily prompted, already half guessing the answer.

"Thought that I actually meant something to him!" Rose burst out. "I thought that he cared about me, that he really actually liked me! I should've known better, I guess, after hearing those rumors about him all the time, but I guess I just wanted so badly to believe that I was different, that I was special…."

Lily sighed. She should have expected this, really, should have predicted that some people would be unhappy with this situation and would seek to disrupt it – because that was what had happened, obviously. If there was one thing Lily was certain of, it was that Rose really was special to Scorpius, and she told her so.

"But, Lily," Rose said, "if he likes me so much, then w-what was he d-doing with J-Jasmine N-N-Nott l-last n-night?" And she broke down into tears again.

Jasmine Nott. Lily's eyes narrowed. So _that_ was who was ruining everything.

Still rubbing Rose's back and murmuring soothing words to her, Lily began to plot.

**Scorpius's POV**

Something was wrong.

Rose wasn't at dinner. She hadn't been at lunch, either, nor had she been in double Charms with him that afternoon. In fact, he hadn't seen her since just after breakfast, when she had a free period but he had to go to Ancient Runes.

He was beginning to get worried. Scratch that, he was beginning to get frantic.

Nobody had seen her, nobody had spoken to her, nobody had even thought to ask where she was.

"What do you mean, you don't know!" Scorpius said, frustrated beyond belief. "You're her brother, for the sake of Merlin's saggy left sock! And you didn't even notice that she's been missing since breakfast?"

"Relax, man," Hugo said through a mouthful of roast. "I'm sure she's just studying or something. You know how she is with the whole learning thing."

Scorpius sighed, running his hand restlessly through his hair until it stood straight up. "Weren't you listening? She didn't show up to Charms this afternoon. _Rose_. Didn't show up to _a class_. That is definitely not what your perfect older sister would do."

"Well then, I dunno." Hugo shrugged, turning back to his plate and shoveling another forkful into his mouth.

"_How can you be so complacent?_" Scorpius nearly shouted.

A hand landed on his shoulder and he spun around, ready to take out his frustration on whoever was standing there.

"What," he snarled.

Lily looked back at him, gaze stony.

"What?" he said again, more gently this time. "Do you know where Rose is?"

Lily nodded. "I do. But Merlin, are you going to have fun dealing with this."

Feeling strangely less than comforted, Scorpius followed Lily out of the Great Hall and up the stairways towards Gryffindor tower.

At least he knew where Rose was, he told himself. At least she's okay.

But who knew what Lily meant when she said he'd have fun dealing with 'this,' whatever 'this' was.

Scorpius swallowed, entirely unsure of what to prepare himself for.

XXXX

**Rose's POV**

She didn't want to move. She didn't want to think, she didn't want to remember, and she sure as hell didn't ever want to leave her bed again.

That was why, when Lily came up with a plate of food from dinner, she merely turned her face into her pillow and tried to ignore her cousin.

It would have worked if it had been anyone but Lily, the most stubborn girl on the planet. But since it was Lily, within minutes Rose found herself upright, dressed in fresh clothing, and sitting at her desk spooning stew into her mouth.

"Now, Rose," Lily began, "I need you to come down to the common room with me."

Rose shook her head, unable to speak with a mouth full of stew.

Lily took advantage of her momentary silence, continuing, "Rosie, please. It's really, really important that you come down with me –"

"No way." Rose cut her off. "I am not leaving this room ever again, or at least until sufficient time has passed for everyone to have forgotten to gossip about me again."

"Please, Rosie—"

"No, Lily. I don't want to have to deal with everyone looking at me, laughing at me, or worse, pitying me. I just want to hide up here until this whole thing has blown over."

Frustrated, Lily sighed. Time for a new tactic, since pleading wasn't working. "At least come downstairs and play chess with me. You don't have to see anyone else, you don't have to talk to anyone else, and this way you'll show everyone how strong you are."

Silence. Lily could see her cousin considering what she'd said, and so she continued, pressing her advantage. "If you go downstairs and show everyone that you just don't care, it will be so much harder for them to laugh at you or pity you. Come on, Rose. Deprive them of the satisfaction of gossiping about you." Holding her breath, Lily surreptitiously crossed her fingers as she waited to see if this would work.

A moment passed before Rose finally spoke. "Alright," she said, standing up and looking determined. "Alright, fine, I will come downstairs to play chess with you, but I am not leaving the common room."

Lily exhaled in relief. Now all she had to worry about was Rose's reaction once they got down to the common room…

XXXXX

**A/N:** Alright, guys, sorry to say but the next chapter is gonna be a bit late. I'm moving houses so I'll be super extra busy, and the internet at my new place won't be up until probably next weekend or so. I will post the next chapter as soon as I can, I promise.

Only a few more chapters left!

~Star


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: ** Hello, everyone. Sorry I've been gone so long, there's been... a lot of stuff happening in the past two years. I'm really, really sorry I've left this so long, but the last two chapters of this story will be (at long last) published.

Enjoy. Oh, and slight language warning: Lily swears, once.

~Star

XXXX

**Scorpius's POV**

He could hear them descending the stairs, feeling his heart beating faster as they neared the bottom. He had been filled in from Lily about what had happened, could barely contain the urge to go hex Jasmine into tomorrow. Lily had put a quick end to that plan, pointing out that the longer he waited, the more upset Rose was going to be.

He couldn't bear to upset her.

Merlin, he was incredibly nervous, waiting for Rose to come downstairs. He hadn't yet worked out what to say to her, which only compounded his anxiety. How could he convince her of the truth when she was so firmly convinced otherwise?

The two girls came into view at last, and Scorpius's heart twisted at Rose's face. Not swollen, not red, but it was obvious to him that she'd been crying.

More than that, the expression of absolute desolation she wore, a bleakness that he had never seen in her eyes before that moment.

"Rose—" he choked out, wanting nothing more than to hold her as tightly as possible.

She looked startled, then turned to Lily with a face filled with betrayal. "I can't believe you."

Lily winced. "No, wait, Rose, listen to him. I swear, you need to talk to him." She got between Rose and the stairway up to the dormitories, blocking her cousin's retreat.

Rose sighed, and turned to face Scorpius, face now closed off and expressionless.

Lily spoke again. "Just hear what he has to say, Rose. I'll leave you two alone." She headed for the door.

Looking at Rose, Scorpius felt his heart jerk. "Rose, you have to know Jasmine lied to you. I would never, ever, not in a million years hurt you like this. Please," he pleaded. "I am so incredibly sorry she did this to you, and you have to believe me when I say," his voice hardened, "that she will pay for it."

Rose's expression didn't change.

He reached out for her, taking a few steps forward. "Rose, darling, please. You have to believe me."

She just looked at him, and he nearly cried from frustration.

XXXX

**Lily's POV**

Now that she'd gotten her cousin to talk to Scorpius, Lily had just one more thing she had to do to take care of this whole thing.

Find Jasmine Nott.

Oh, she was sure that Scorpius would also want to have a chat with the evil little slag, but Lily needed to have a word with her too. Now, where to find the foul girl…

After making her way down into the dungeons, Lily was pleased to hear that Jasmine was in the Slytherin common room. She asked a nearby Slytherin to get Jasmine to come out into the hall, then waited.

Jasmine exited the common room in a cloud of perfume, and before she could say anything Lily had her up against the wall, the redhead's wand at her throat.

"Oh, one of you _Weasleys_, isn't it," Jasmine said disdainfully.

"_Yes._ And I have some business with you," Lily hissed, shoving her wand closer to Jasmine's face. "Just where do you get off telling such putrid lies to my cousin?"

"Oh, you mean Rose? I didn't lie to her about anythi—" Jasmine's words cut off as Lily punched her in the face.

"I don't want to hear it." Thank goodness James and Albus taught her to do that. She took a grim delight in the pain in her knuckles, knowing that Jasmine's face had to hurt a lot more than that.

Definitely worth a detention.

Jasmine gave her a malevolent glare. "You're going to regret that."

"No, _bitch_. You're going to regret you ever messed with my cousin. Because when you mess with one of us, _you mess with all of us_," Lily said menacingly, leveling her wand at Jasmine's throat once more. "Do you have any idea how much pain you will be in when the rest of my family finds out what you've done to Rose?"

Jasmine began to look a bit nervous, her haughty look ruined by the bruise forming on her cheekbone and her continued darting glances at Lily's wand.

"If you think _I_ can hit hard," Lily laughed, "you haven't seen my cousins. Not to mention all the fun, imaginative hexes we know. I'm sure with so many of us, we can come up with something just perfect for a foul little _toad_ like you."

Jasmine looked downright green at this point. Lily couldn't help but congratulate herself.

"If I hear of you even _walking past_ my cousin from now on, you'll be dealing with all of us. And while I'm sure we'll all enjoy it immensely, _you will not._" And with that, Lily drew her wand back and turned away.

Then turned around and punched Jasmine once more, knocking the older girl to the ground.

Yes, Lily thought, massaging her hand. Definitely worth a detention.

XXXX

**Scorpius's POV**

It wasn't working.

Oh Merlin, he wasn't convincing her. He could just tell.

"Rose, please," he begged. "I'm telling you the truth. Jasmine came up to me and asked me to spend the night with her, but I swear I turned her down. She means nothing to me, not like you do."

Rose's face was stony, but he could see her eyes glistening. Merlin, if she started crying in front of him, he couldn't stand it.

"You have to believe me, darling. I am so sorry, I never meant to hurt you. I'm past all of the flings I had with girls, I really am." He was beginning to panic. "I don't want anyone any more but you, Rose. Only you."

She said nothing.

He took a deep breath. "Please, Rose. I love you."

There. He'd said it, finally. It had been rolling around in his head for a few days, but he hadn't wanted to bring it up, hadn't wanted to scare her away. And now it was out in the open.

She just looked at him.

He nearly cried from frustration. "Rose. _Say something_."

A moment passed. And then:

"No." She walked towards the door, and left.

She was gone.


	13. Chapter 13

**Rose's POV**

She didn't know where she was going. She just knew she couldn't be there anymore.

Rose wandered the halls blindly, still trying to process her emotions. Her head felt think, her mind fuzzy with too many unshed tears, and she just couldn't make sense of everything she was feeling.

Scorpius said he loved her.

Jasmine Nott was probably lying. Probably.

But it was true, Scorpius had been with many girls over the years, and even if Jasmine had lied, this time, Rose would still always worry. What about next time, or another girl? She couldn't keep going while constantly worried that Scorpius had gone back to his philandering ways. So where did that leave them, exactly?

Rose sighed. She knew exactly where it left them.

They could never be together. If she couldn't trust him to have left his past behind, and he couldn't trust her to trust him, then a relationship would never work.

Better to stop things now than let more emotions get involved.

She sighed again. Sometimes, it was difficult to be the pragmatic one.

She slowly walked back to Gryffindor tower, mentally planning out her conversation with Scorpius.

_Look, Scorpius, I really like you, but I just don't think this will work. I think we're too different to get along, much less actually work out as a couple. I'm sorry, but we should go our separate ways._

There, that was good. Enough explanation to appease him (hopefully), but not so much as to offend him (hopefully). Clearly stated (hopefully), and firm enough that he couldn't argue (hopefully).

Now she just had to tell him.

XXXX

**Scorpius's POV**

After Rose had left, Scorpius didn't go anywhere. He didn't want to get up, didn't want to move, didn't want to do _anything_.

So he didn't. People came and went through the Gryffindor common room, giving him odd looks as they passed, but no one bothered him. Eventually, feeling exhausted, Scorpius hauled himself up from the chair he'd been sprawled in sadly for the past several hours, and noticed that the common room was, once again, empty except for him.

He wondered if he'd be able to get any sleep before the morning. It was already very late, and he knew he wouldn't be able to get Rose out of his head for a long time. _Maybe never_, whispered a little voice at the back of his mind.

As if conjured up, however, Scorpius found himself face to face with Rose herself as he exited Gryffindor tower.

"Ah," she said calmly. "Scorpius. I wanted to talk to you."

His heart sank. Such an emotionless tone did not bode well.

"I've been thinking," she continued. "I'm sorry, Scorpius. I really like you, but I just don't think this will work."

She couldn't be saying what he thought she was saying.

"I think we're too different to get along—"

"Rose." He cut her off.

She ignored him. "—we're too different to get along, much less work out as a couple."

"Rose." He closed his eyes. She was acting so seriously, so calmly. _She can't truly mean this, can she?_

"I'm sorry, but we should go our separate ways." Her tone had an air of finality that made his heart twist.

"Rose. I love you."

She just looked at him.

"Really? You're sure this is what you want?" he asked, preparing himself to truly let her go, if that was what she wanted.

She hesitated for the briefest moment before answering. "Yes."

That hesitation was all he needed. He took a step towards her, then another, and leaned forward to whisper in her ear. "You're wrong."

Then he kissed her.

XXXX

**Rose's POV**

He kissed her, and she was lost. Reaching a hand up to tenderly stroke his face, she pushed her misgivings away and let herself enjoy the moment. Because she knew it could not happen again.

Standing her ground earlier had been the hardest thing Rose could remember doing. Her heart had been screaming at her to shut up, to hug him, to forgive him and let them be together, but she didn't have her mother's brains for nothing.

She knew it would be a mistake to continue this, knew that it would only come to tragedy in the end. Knew that she had to end it now.

And yet, when he told her he loved her…she believed him. And when he kissed her, she felt her resistance melting away like ice in a hot cauldron.

This had to be the last time she kissed him. She pulled away, breathing heavy.

Scorpius was the first to speak. "You're wrong, Rose. We're great for each other."

She shook her head and opened her mouth to speak, but he cut her off with another kiss.

This time when they pulled apart, she was the first to say something. "Scorpius…no…"

He kissed her again, hard and fast, leaving her heart pounding and her head spinning.

"Yes," he whispered seductively, leaning his forehead against hers and touching their noses together. "You know it, Rose. You know we'd be good together."

"I can't trust you."

He drew back slightly, keeping his gaze fixed on her. "Why?"

She swallowed, having hoped she would not have to tell him this part. "Because. You've been so, you know…promiscuous, that even if this time, Jasmine Nott lied to me, I will still wonder next time."

"What if there is no next time?"

She looked at him skeptically. "What if there is?"

"I don't plan on sleeping around anymore. Even if we're not together. The girls will just have to get over it." He shrugged.

She almost laughed at how conceited he sounded. "But even so, we fight all the time."

"Not _all_ the time." He winked at her, then sobered. "Rose, you shouldn't give up on us before we've really given it a shot."

"But it'll never work out!" she cried, wishing she could make him understand. "It'll just hurt more later."

He grabbed her shoulders, his warm hands making her shiver. "How can you give up on something before it even starts?"

She looked up at him, feeling small. "I just don't want to get hurt."

"Wouldn't you already be hurt, leaving me now? I know I haven't entirely imagined how you feel about me."

"Well, yes, but it might be worse later," she whispered, blushing. It sounded silly when she said it like that.

"We'll work it out," he said comfortingly.

"But—but—what if we can't work it out?"

"We'll work it out," he smiled.

"But what if you get mad about me getting jealous all the time?"

"We'll work it out," he laughed, sensing her weakness.

"Stop being so convincing!" She stamped her foot, trying to scowl at him.

He stood there, grinning like an idiot, knowing he had her. "How do you know it won't work if you don't try?"

She kept scowling for a moment, trying to resist him, then gave up. She laughed and flung herself into his arms. "Alright, fine, you win. We'll give it a try."

He squeezed her tightly and spun her around, then set her carefully down. He looked into her eyes, making her pulse jump. "I really do love you, you know."

She smiled, feeling her heart flip. "I love you, too."

XXXX

**Lily's POV**

Oh, what a triumph, and on so many levels.

Saturday morning, Rose and Scorpius came down into the Great Hall together, holding hands. Lily could've jumped for joy, if not from helping her cousin find happiness then from the stunned looks of the rest of her family as they saw the happy couple.

Word got out over the meal that the two were dating, and there were many (mostly female) sighs of sadness at the news. No longer was there a "maybe" involved, as there had been before. The questioning young minds of Hogwarts had been put to rest by the definitive news that yes, Rose Weasley and Scorpius Malfoy really were together.

Lily couldn't be happier. That morning, after everyone had returned from breakfast, Lily called another family meeting.

"Time to settle up!" she cried to the mostly red-headed crowd in the Gryffindor common room, trying, and failing completely, to hide her huge grin.

After a great deal of grumbling, the rest of them fell silent. Lily doled out the few bets that others had won, and then, looking incredibly smug, spoke again. "I myself, for correctly predicting that Rose and Scorpius would be in a relationship by today at the latest, have won a whopping seventeen Galleons, eleven Sickles, and four Knuts!" she announced, smirking in triumph.

The grumbling began again, coming loudest from James and Albus, the idiots.

"Look, I can't help it if some of us," she gave a pointed glance at her brothers, "don't have a talent for these sorts of things. But, if you'd care to try again…" she grinned devilishly, very pleased she'd thought of this.

Everyone started speaking again, and Lily smiled to herself. Raising her voice over the noise, she called out, "Who wants to bet on Uncle Ron's reaction when he finds out?"

She would be even richer soon.

XXXX

**A/N:** Well, I think that's the end. I may add an epilogue, if you guys think it's a good idea. I'm not sure I like ending the story with Lily, but it didn't feel like there was much else to tell of Rose and Scorpius right here. Tell me if you want more in a review, please.

Anyways, I'm sorry it's taken so ridiculously long for me to finish this story (two years! I mean really!), things just kinda...got away from me. I hope you've enjoyed reading, and thanks for being so patient with me!

~Star


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